Psychiatrist vs. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has earned an MD (Doctor of Medicine) or a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree and completed a psychiatric residency, while a psychiatric nurse practitioner is an advanced practice RN who has completed a graduate program such as a Master's or Doctorate and worked as a licensed nurse.

Psychiatric nurse practitioner vs Psychiatrist

A psychiatric nurse practitioner is a registered mental health nurse, while a psychiatrist is a doctor, but they both can diagnose and treat mental health issues. Psychiatric nurse practitioners are advanced practice RNs who have completed a graduate program such as a master's or doctorate and worked as licensed nurses. They can diagnose and treat mental disorders by providing psychotherapy and counseling to patients, and prescribing medication.

What is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Amy Grugan Ph.D.,

Dr. Charman Miller

A psychiatric nurse practitioner is a licensed nurse who has completed advanced education and training in mental health. They assess, diagnose, and treat individuals with mental health disorders, including prescribing medications and providing therapy. Psychiatric nurse practitioners work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals to develop treatment plans for their patients. They may work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, mental health clinics, and private practices.

What general advice would you give to a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner?

Amy Grugan Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Assistant Director of Nursing, Bradley University

Keep an open mind as to all of the learning opportunities you have. Work to become, and be a part of, a culture of positivity. Focus on your patients and ensuring you, and the health care team, are providing the absolute best care possible. Work with patients and families to educate, encourage, and enhance healthy habits. Learn as much as you can so you enhance patient safety and become a knowledgeable and compassionate caregiver. Lastly, ensure you take time to put your new role in perspective, this is the beginning of your journey. Experiential learning is a great teacher, don't be afraid to ask questions so you understand.

ScorePsychiatric Nurse PractitionerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $105,403

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 40%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.32%

Asian 6.33%

Black or African American 4.66%

Hispanic or Latino 6.65%

Unknown 4.50%

White 77.54%

Gender

female 79.77%

male 20.23%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.4

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner?

Pros

High demand for psychiatric nurse practitioners
Ability to work independently and make treatment decisions
Potential for high salary and job security
Option to work flexible hours or part-time
Ability to make a significant difference in patients' lives

Cons

Emotional toll of working with patients with mental illness
Dealing with insurance companies and reimbursement policies
Limited opportunities for advancement without additional education or training
Challenging patient population, including those who are non-compliant or difficult to treat
Dealing with paperwork and administrative tasks

Key steps to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner

Explore psychiatric nurse practitioner education requirements

Most common psychiatric nurse practitioner degrees

Master's

45.9 %

Bachelor's

37.9 %

Associate

8.5 %

Start to develop specific psychiatric nurse practitioner skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	25.48%
Behavioral Health	12.01%
Patient Care	7.58%
Diagnostic Tests	5.89%
Medication Management	5.76%

Complete relevant psychiatric nurse practitioner training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New psychiatric nurse practitioners learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a psychiatric nurse practitioner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real psychiatric nurse practitioner resumes.

Research psychiatric nurse practitioner duties and responsibilities

Lead quality assessment of client's QA / QC processes, organizations, and test environments.
Manage outpatient pacemaker and ICD interrogations and remote transmission follow-ups.
Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
Obtain necessary certifications, including child abuse clearance, CPR, and nonviolent crisis intervention training.

Prepare your psychiatric nurse practitioner resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your psychiatric nurse practitioner resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a psychiatric nurse practitioner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Resume templates

Build a professional Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner resume.

Apply for psychiatric nurse practitioner jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a psychiatric nurse practitioner job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary

The average Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner salary in the United States is $105,403 per year or $51 per hour. Psychiatric nurse practitioner salaries range between $61,000 and $179,000 per year.

Average Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Salary

$105,403 Yearly

$50.67 hourly

How do psychiatric nurse practitioners rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

Helping others

Cons

Lack of pay, paperwork, seeing the same patients and doing the same as a physician but getting paid alot less!

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Pros

I like the autonomy and the fulfillment of helping others.

Cons

I dislike the variations in the pay rates between NPs and PAs.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019

Pros

patient interaction, discussion of anything encouraging as they deal with longterm chronic illnesses. Empowering the patient to be part of the solution, and also to find ways to focus outside of their illness. And I love discussing research with patients when it relates .

Cons

#1 Administration does not value you as a health professional. They are stuck in the image of the nurse meaning we follow. They don't see us as clinicians that make a difference not just by caring, but by evaluating organ systems, medication regimens, finding the answer by communicating and getting a great history in regards to chief complaints, evaluating labs and staying up to date with research. I and other NP's before me laid the groundwork for our profession y working hard and being smart and educated. I have seen how companies want to get rid of the experienced NP to fill the role with two entry level NP's. There is age discrimination on top of it, it's not just the pay. #2 Arrogant doctors who push most of the work onto you in regards to documentation and also patient's medical management. Then act like they are "so busy". We know the good doctors from the ones who are their own fan club.

What is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner?

What are the pros and cons of being a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner?

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner career paths

Key steps to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner

Explore psychiatric nurse practitioner education requirements

Most common psychiatric nurse practitioner degrees

Start to develop specific psychiatric nurse practitioner skills

Complete relevant psychiatric nurse practitioner training and internships

Research psychiatric nurse practitioner duties and responsibilities

Prepare your psychiatric nurse practitioner resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Resume templates

Apply for psychiatric nurse practitioner jobs

How Did You Land Your First Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Job

Average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary

How do psychiatric nurse practitioners rate their job?

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner reviews

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner FAQs

Psychiatrist vs. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Psychiatric nurse practitioner vs Psychiatrist

Search for psychiatric nurse practitioner jobs

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner jobs by state